Glossary of botanical terms

Tetradenia riparia leaves and buds IMG 2103c

Viburnum abscission

Welwitschia at Ugab River basin

Accumbent cotyledon

Strawberry.achene.es

Geranium incanum floral stages IMG 2752

Glossary of Botanical Terms

The Glossary of Botanical Terms is a comprehensive list of terms used in botany and plant sciences, providing definitions for the terminology associated with the study, classification, structure, and properties of plants. This glossary serves as an essential resource for students, researchers, and enthusiasts in the field of botany. Below are some of the key terms and their definitions.

A

• Annual - A plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one year, and then dies.
• Axil - The angle between the upper side of a leaf or stem and the supporting stem or branch.

B

• Biennial - A plant that completes its life cycle in two years, growing in the first year and flowering and dying in the second.
• Bark - The protective outer covering of the trunk, branches, and stems of trees and other woody plants.

C

• Calyx - The outermost whorl of parts that form a flower, consisting of units called sepals; typically green and leaf-like to protect the developing flower.
• Cotyledon - The first leaf or pair of leaves produced by the embryo of a seed plant.

D

• Deciduous - Plants that lose all of their leaves for part of the year, typically in the autumn and winter, in contrast to evergreen plants that retain their foliage year-round.
• Dioecious - Referring to a plant species that has male and female reproductive structures on separate plants.

E

• Evergreen - A plant that retains its leaves throughout the year and is always green, in contrast to deciduous plants.

F

• Flora - The plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life.
• Fruit - The seed-bearing structure in flowering plants formed from the ovary after flowering.

G

• Germination - The process by which a plant grows from a seed.

H

• Herbaceous - Describing a plant that has leaves and stems that die down to the soil level at the end of the growing season.

I

• Inflorescence - The complete flower head of a plant including stems, stalks, bracts, and flowers.

L

• Lignin - An organic substance binding the cells, fibers, and vessels which constitute wood and the lignified elements of plants, making them rigid and woody.

M

• Monocotyledon - A group of flowering plants (angiosperms) that have a single cotyledon (seed leaf) in the seed.

N

• Node - The part of a plant stem from which one or more leaves emerge, often forming a slight swelling or knob.

O

• Ovary - The part of the pistil which holds the ovule(s) and is usually located at the base of the flower.

P

• Perennial - A plant that lives for more than two years, often growing and blooming over the spring and summer, dying back every autumn and winter, and then returning in the spring from its rootstock.

R

• Rhizome - A horizontal, usually underground stem that often sends out roots and shoots from its nodes.

S

• Stamen - The pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of an anther and a filament.
• Symbiosis - An interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, typically to the advantage of both.

T

• Tuber - A thickened underground part of a stem or rhizome, in plants such as the potato, serving as a food reserve and bearing buds from which new plants arise.

V

• Vascular plant - A plant that has specialized tissues for conducting water and nutrients throughout the plant.

This glossary provides a foundational understanding of the key terms used in the study of botany and plant sciences. For more detailed information on specific terms or concepts, readers are encouraged to explore related articles linked throughout this glossary.

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